The Only Exception
by xGlassRosex823
Summary: Summary:Sometimes Oz forgets that the world is so free-a fact that Alice has no trouble reminding him, whether she knows it or not.  Oz/Alice  oneshot  major fluff  Oz Pov


Warning: This is a overly fluffy fluff-pile of Alice/Oz that you are about to read. Heavily inspired by: chapter 41, the reviewers of my other story, and certain people. You know who you are! [It's a pretty large group o_o]

Also, it's surprisingly easy for me to write in 'third-person omniscient' and I tend to overuse commas, even though, technically, I am not breaking any grammar rules.

Summary: "Sometimes Oz forgets that the world is so free- a fact that Alice has no trouble reminding him, whether she knows it or not." [Oz/Alice] [massive amounts of fluff]

"_The Only Exception"_

_An Alice/Oz oneshot_

_By: xglassrosex823_

Once again, Oz shifted his body without looking away from the peaceful hills in the distance. Though unsure why, he gazed wistfully at the view from the shade on the back steps of Pandora's headquarters, where he had been situated since morning. (Really, Pandora had been built in such a remote part of the country.) From the back, Oz noted, one could see for miles. The rolling hills were so calming during this time of the year, when the life was beginning to return to the earth after its cold winter rest. One couldn't ask for more perfect weather too; there were no clouds in the bright blue sky and the brilliance of the sun seemed to reach and renew everything in the visible area.

Fleetingly, Oz smiled - in acknowledgement his surroundings, but unable to form any concrete opinions about them. As if the beauty of the day pervaded everything around, yet could not reach him. Like only watching the day go by, but not participating in its enjoyments, something he recognized but did nothing to change. (Almost outside of it all, he thought.) Intruding on the near silence of the outdoors, light footsteps echoed off of the top step of the flight where Oz was sitting not two steps down.

"What are you looking at, Oz?"

Alice's voice broke him from his distant fascination with the landscape. He turned to face her but she stood staring at the far off nature, enchanted by it. Oz smiled at her shameless wonder.

"Nothing, Alice. It's just a beautiful day," he looked away from her to the ground. For reasons he could not understand, looking to the bright scenery made him feel somewhat…bitter. Alice walked two steps down without looking away from the two birds flying overhead and away. Her eyes were mesmerized by the view of the far-off meadows and fields.

"Then, let's go," she turned and said to him hopefully. Emerald eyes peered up into her violet ones and her mouth curved, almost involuntarily, into a wide grin full excitement and anticipation.

"Go where?" he asked simply. She tore her eyes away and hopped down onto the grass a couple steps from where Oz was sitting. He watched her, waiting for his answer as she stretched her arms above her head. Then suddenly, she twisted around fluidly on one foot.

"Wherever we want!" she exclaimed, grabbing Oz's hand in hers and pulling his body up off the steps and dragging behind hers as they rushed into the light and out of the shadow of the building. He didn't resist; he didn't say anything. Only his eyes widened and a rush of unexplained excitement surged through him.

Why hadn't he thought of this before? He had only been sitting, watching the day go by, yet he hadn't thought once to join in. But he was glad, despite these questions. He was glad that he wouldn't be by himself. Glad that he was with Alice. Still, he did nothing; He only followed behind her as she tugged his hand and carried them onward.

Her pace slowed momentarily as they reached the top of a hill, but she didn't stop. He could tell she didn't _want_ to stop. Every movement and action she made was overflowing with barely contained excitement. The world around her seemed an endless expanse of wonder; It shone in her eyes. The more Oz watched her the more enchanted he became.

_She was dazzling._

This one thought repeated itself in his head and stood out far more than any other. In this moment, nothing else was as important. Nothing else was as stunning, and he could not stop it. He quickened his step just long enough so that the two began walking beside one another. Oz loosened his grip on her hand and her fingers twisted so that their hands became intertwined. Alice turned to him smiling, then looked ahead again, leading them forward. Oz's gaze lasted a few seconds after she turned away and a grin spread over his face too. Be it simply the day or Alice's enthusiasm, but the feeling of lightheartedness was infectious. And he liked it.

Suddenly, the ground flattened out and wild flowers were whipping against the front of their shins; It was a beautiful sight too, so they stopped. Thousands of white flowers were all growing in one clearing. The sky was as pleasant as could be with little wind. There was only white and green as far as the eye could see.

Alice's hand slipped out and away from Oz's and she meandered through the growth. Oz watched on as she would innocently look about her surroundings with wide eyes and a smile, a look of utmost happiness and curiosity. And it looked so natural on her, it seemed. It was just so…Alice. No one else, that Oz could think of, could be so fulfilled just being. While this made him extraordinarily happy, he, at the same time, also felt a tiny bit bitter toward her for this very fact. Alice found happiness in the simplest of things and in the easiest of ways. Oz? Well, some days, he would lie in bed in the morning trying to convince himself to get up and be happy, or at least try to act it.

Alice radiated happiness. But not just being cheerful, she was sensitive to others' feelings as well. (A very subtle characteristic she possessed.) Even when he believed no one would understand his fears, Alice did. She understood and accepted them and it did In fact, Oz almost hadn't believed such a person could exist, but here she was.

Someone lightly tapped his shoulder and he turned around to face the blissful chain.

"Oz, could you hold these?" Alice asked as she held out her white gloves for him to grab. Oz knew it wasn't really a question, but he would end up holding them if he argued anyways so he complied with her wishes. She looked up at him and smiled and then scurried off to continue with her walk amongst the flowers, occasionally bending down to run her fingers over the delicate petals of ones she would pass.

Oz watched her for a few moments before twirling around to get a better view of everything around him. It was amazingly peaceful, he thought, and innocent. Every single flower around him was such a pure white; he wondered if there would ever be another day where he could see flowers as brilliant as these. He wished.

"Oz," Alice's voice called eagerly, "look at this!"

He spun around to see Alice walking up to him, a single flower and its stem clasped in her fist. (Indelicately, the only way she knows how. He chuckles.) Stopping right in front of him, Alice rolled it into her fingertips and held it out before him. That was when he finally got a look at it.

A single yellow flower.

For a second, he doesn't know what to say, what to _think_. He reaches up to touch it, but she hands it over to him instead. He holds it up so that all the other white flowers are in the background. But they become blurry and blend together as he focuses on its petals and the way a couple are dangerously close to falling off when he moves, but nevertheless, they stay attached.

"It's nice," Oz says. The words slip out of his mouth before he can comprehend what they are and he twists and turns the flower to see it from all sides. Alice nods her head and goes off again.

He wondered where it had been growing, for every living thing around them was a bright white, a stark contrast to the faded yellow of its petals. Oz continued to marvel at the flower, but his thoughts once again end up at his captivation with Alice and how surprising she was. Alice _would_ be the person to find the only yellow flower in a sea of white ones, as if…the beauty of sameness was not satisfying enough for her. Had she been looking for something different as she walked around? Did she not care for the scenery as a whole?

No, Oz thought, it wasn't like that. With Alice, there were no underlying motives, no hinted feelings. She always did what she wanted; there didn't have to be a reason for anything. True, she found a flower unlike any other around, but that was just it. It was beautiful because it was different.

She was happy because, in a wave of perfectly white flowers, she found one that was not at all like any other, yet it was brilliant. And that was it.

It baffled Oz-astounded him even.

"Oz," Alice spoke to him calmly, trying to get his attention, from not five feet away, "do you want to keep walking?" Her arm was stretched out toward him, palm facing upward, waiting for him to take it. He nodded and reached his right hand out and put it in hers, his fingers resting on top of hers. She looked up at him and smiled, while she hooked her fingers around the end of his hand and gently pulled him closer. He gladly accepted and walked his way up next to her, a grin tugging at his lips, and he darted his gaze away as a slight blush crept upon his cheeks. Then, as he laced their fingers again, he looked back to her and spoke;

"Sure, show me the way."

And then he thought, she was just like that flower.

A/N: At first, I tried to focus on the irony of Oz being absorbed/fascinated with everything around him, yet being so detached from it all. I also think I failed at it. -_-

Just like I failed at going from a lonely scene to a tender, innocent, romance-y one. And when I was writing this at midnight it sounded so good! Grr, well, at least I can figure out what I did wrong for next time…

I know Oz isn't very good with identifying his own feelings, but he can skirt around and describe them well enough to get a good enough picture. But I just love how innocent Oz's fascination with Alice is, so expect more short stories such as this!

Reviews are welcomed. (I'll leave the front door open.)


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